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To me it means being swift and agile as the wind through the trees, solid and grounded like the earth below my feet, fluid like the flowing stream, and to shine with an inner fire that no person may extinguish. Most of all it means having compassion for someone that may be trying to hurt you in any way. Protect uke to preserve uke, things can change in an instant.

Hello Bryan,

Are you being serious?

Many apologies, but your description seems like a combination of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli in Lord of the Rings. Gosh, those guys ALWAYS win. Orc arrows invariably MISS their targets, but Legolas invariably HITS his foes. Probably they would embody your idea of the true aikidouka. How about the Uruk-Hai, bred by Saruman? Would they qualify as aikidouka?

If I think of that movie, my idea of a true aikidouka would be Samwise Gamji, or Gollum Of course, Frodo would also fit, but he is sometimes too stuipid for words. Gollum would fit, since he always uses his obvious martial skills in support of the vision he has.

But it was a movie and everything was all arranged beforehand. It was all fake, in Plato's sense.

There is a thread on e-budo right now, about what is a warrior. Many of the same kind of romantic ideals are written there. I don't know if I'm just jaded...but I am definately a bit weary of the romanticism.

Best,
Ron (just my point of view...carry on...)

Ron Tisdale
-----------------------
"The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind."
St. Bonaventure (ca. 1221-1274)

There is a thread on e-budo right now, about what is a warrior. Many of the same kind of romantic ideals are written there. I don't know if I'm just jaded...but I am definately a bit weary of the romanticism.

Best,
Ron (just my point of view...carry on...)

I'm reading a book right now based around the trenches in WWI, the 'soldiers' in this conflict were definitely not the romantic 'warrior', they were mostly conscripted workers unaware of the real reasons for them being there. That doesn't mean that many of them didn't act like warriors, I'm sure many of them did. I just think that the romantic ideas about the 'warrior' are usually perpetrated by those not in "the front line".

That doesn't mean that many of them didn't act like warriors, I'm sure many of them did. I just think that the romantic ideas about the 'warrior' are usually perpetrated by those not in "the front line".

I completely agree. I guess I just wonder why we need to create these poetic, exagerated visions of what it is we do. Is the reality somehow not enough?

Best,
Ron

Ron Tisdale
-----------------------
"The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind."
St. Bonaventure (ca. 1221-1274)

I completely agree. I guess I just wonder why we need to create these poetic, exagerated visions of what it is we do. Is the reality somehow not enough?

Best,
Ron

Good question Ron, if we just stick with aikido rather than open it up to a much wider sphere, then to be an aikidoka means to be someone who practices aikido. What that means to each end every aikidoka is personal, either formed through continued practice or what we 'think' we should be. This could be informed by our teachers, our readings, our discussions of what aikido 'is'. Aikido can encompass the 'deadly martial art' through to the 'personal spiritual growth' aspects without the paradox falling apart.

I think the 'samurai warrior' figure pervades some of the thinking in aikido, as there is a link that can be traced back to those times. Maybe the romanticisation of these figures does attract some to our art, but why anyone would want to emulate the samurai in the modern world is beyond me. They belong to a time past, a bit like the medieval knights. I'm not suggesting that this tendancy is all pervading but it may have some influence.

The reality is much more mundane, turning up to practice, over and over again, facing the inevitable frustrations that are inherent in trying to improve oneself. It's not romantic, it can be enjoyable, hard work and enlightening, but a panting sweat soaked student is hardly a romantic fugure ( maybe you are prettier than me so this could be relative )

Just a few thoughts,

Anyway, my reality demands that I cook some food and do some cleaning ( I'm a real modern 'warrior' ), so I'd better get on with it rather than sit here being a keyboard warrior

The reality is much more mundane, turning up to practice, over and over again, facing the inevitable frustrations that are inherent in trying to improve oneself. It's not romantic, it can be enjoyable, hard work and enlightening, but a panting sweat soaked student is hardly a romantic fugure....

Sounds like a good desciption and picture to use in recruiting new students

hmm Interesting, I never gave thought to the positive sides of humiliation. I'll have to ponder over it a bit during my humility sessions

"Humility is the state of being humble. A humble person is generally thought to be unpretentious and modest: someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others. Humility is not to be confused with humiliation, which is the act of making someone else feel ashamed, and is something completely different."

Humility and humiliation are not the same thing though the words sound similar.

Humility and humiliation are not the same thing though the words sound similar.

I'm sorry, bad choice of words on my part, but I did understand the original intention. To my defense I'll say that English is my second language!

I've attended a dojo where the teacher doesn't 'teach' humility at all, on the contrary, he boasts how his teaching (combination of Yoshinkan and BJJ) is the most practical. His arrogant manner rubbed off on his students, and those who were arrogant to begin with just became obnoxious, close minded people. I attended a Ki- Aikido seminar with one of them, and all he had to say is "wtf is this useless b*s, I just wasted 2 hours of my life", and left in the middle. I wouldn't be surprised to hear about one of them getting into a fight just to prove their system, either.